The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 403 Ilya Strikes!
Irisviel received Kiritsugu's "date" invitation at 11:00 AM.

At this point, there was less than half an hour left before the Sea Demon was activated and Black Alice was scheduled to make her move.

Considering the size of Beika Town, it shouldn't have taken too long to entrust someone to deliver that letter to the Emiya residence.

The delay was because Kiritsugu might only have one chance to fire a shot.

For the plan to succeed, Kiritsugu must convince Alice that it is not a conspiracy.

This seasoned hunter must devise a trap that the enemy absolutely cannot escape.

Because for Black Alice, she may have an infinite amount of time—time constructed based on subjective perception and effect values.

Even if this power is difficult to influence the outside world, if it is applied only to oneself or those connected to oneself—

Weber and Rider are the most prominent examples of this situation.

Kiritsugu doesn't care about his own sacrifice, but he will be extremely cautious if it is related to the success of the plan.

The answer to how ingenious a trap a lover who knows you inside and out can set for their partner can be found in the nostalgic expression on Irisviel's face at this moment.

……

"This is... a picture of Ilya?"

The image, though static, came to life in Irisviel's somewhat dazed expression.

As a mother who lost her child, Black Alice can even see cute little figures in pictures waving and hugging her.

She turned the letter with the photo over to the back and saw that it read:

“Alice, I know you’re not my Alice, but Ilya wants to try to convince you.”

Kiritsugu knew that Black Alice was sometimes more persistent than him, such as when it came to his sacrifices or the long-cherished wishes he wanted to achieve.

But after carefully analyzing the information provided by the Alliance, he became convinced that Alice's belief in sacrifice was based on the possibility of salvaging something.

As a mother who has actually given birth, Alice's love for Ilya is an option she absolutely cannot give up.

Even when this matter is considered in relation to Kiritsugu's own wishes, it remains the same.

All the information—

Whether it was that previous dream or information related to "historical inertia".

All of this points to Irisviel's unwavering love for Ilya.

But for Kiritsugu at this point, it's not a very difficult choice.

Whether she wins or Black Alice wins, Illya will never be harmed.

Moreover, all of this actually happened.

Ilya did indeed suggest to the Alliance that they could use this opportunity to "recruit" another mother.

Of course, Kiritsugu lied to the child once again on this point.

He was well aware of the difference between this Alice and his own Alice; the nature of evil in this world had already determined that this "negotiation" would ultimately end in failure.

Therefore, what I need to guard against is actually Irisviel's attempt to recruit Ilya.

Kiritsugu reminded himself of this point that needed to be mentioned in the discussion later.

Kiritsugu even made some preparations regarding Illya, because he knew his daughter might misjudge the situation out of sympathy.

With that thought in mind, Kiritsugu put down his pen.

His voice, tinged with pain, could be heard from the car that was on its way to pick up Ilya.

“Maimi, I never imagined that I would become the kind of person I despise the most.”

It would be one thing if he only used Alice's relationship with him, but now he's even going to use his own child.

The deed is done, and all Hisayu Maiya can do is try to lessen the guilt in his heart.

"Kiritsugu, Illya is no longer a child."

“At least it wasn’t like when I was holding a gun and being forced to attack. Ilya made the preparations after knowing all of this.”

Maiya's words greatly comforted Kiritsugu.

But he still spoke with a hint of bitterness, "Yes, but that's precisely why I feel..."

"Kiritsugu, if it were Illya, she would probably be very happy to have this opportunity."

Hisayu Maiya points out that Kiritsugu's concerns are likely just his own overconfidence.

She continued, "Furthermore, according to the information the Alliance sent us, Ilya was brought over by the Alliance a long time ago and has undergone a long period of training."

"Judging from her age, she is very likely an adult."

“Yes, and he probably knows much more than I do,” Kiritsugu remarked.

……

Because the method of nurturing the Lesser Grail handed over by Zouken Matou requires extreme emotions to complete, the Alliance did not attempt to make Sakura Matou into another Grail.

Having an extra [Minor Grail] might increase the [League's] chances of winning.

Lin Sheng was not optimistic about what kind of outcome such a "Holy Grail" would ultimately lead to.

In the historical inertia that Lin Sheng knew, there had never been a Holy Grail that represented "the good of this world".

Simply relying on the "Character Breakthrough Theory" and imitating a similar path according to its logic—

If this were within the [this universe], Lin Sheng might still have a chance of success.

However, in the Type-Moon universe, which is sometimes illogical and even subjective and idealistic, the consequences of the birth of such a Holy Grail are unclear.

Even though Komatou Sakura clearly doesn't mind trying this.

Even after [Da Matou Sakura] had given a clear possibility that needed to be fulfilled, the [Alliance] still abandoned this risky and low-reward move.

After all, Ilya's progress in the [Third Law] was so rapid that it couldn't even be described as a leap forward.

The characteristics of the [Timeline], combined with the [Heavenly Garment] which can temporarily achieve [Soul Materialization] for a moment, are a perfect match.

This unique combination of soul, body, and spirit makes the timeline almost harmless to Ilya.

If it weren't for the fact that once the environment returns to a high RSI value, those things that were arbitrarily given the characteristic of "perpetual motion" would immediately be dismantled again as the RSI value rises, Ilya could have fulfilled the Einzbern family's long-cherished wish directly without going through the "Holy Grail Ritual".

In this compatible situation, she can use not only the magic of the CYZ Magic Base Series, but also the "Seven Chapters of Ke Jun Sutra".

This is clearly a trump card; the Alliance didn't even consider sending her out when things were at their most dangerous not long ago.

And the reason why Ilya is now involved in this plan is quite simple—

She volunteered to participate in this task.

……

Kiritsugu obviously had no idea that his recent remark that "Illya may have grown up" had become a reality.

Unlike the others who needed to "go out on field missions," Ilya, who was focused on the "Fifth World War," had always been well protected.

More importantly, among the various methods the Alliance has now identified for breaking down character settings, Ilya's approach may be the right way to shatter those established personas.

Just like Professor Agasa's plot device was broken.

Since learning the Third Law was something Ilya was already capable of doing.

This kind of simple extension based purely on the [Type-Moon Universe] itself is obviously much more solid than those extensions achieved by utilizing the CYZ effect.

Lin Sheng had even discussed this point with Conan many times.

Take Weber, for example, from the original universe. He can now certainly be considered a "strong" being, even though he is still very weak.

But the question is, what plays the most important role in his "breaking the mold"?
That power of breaking limits, which came from Rider's last legacy.

"This makes them appear weaker in reality—according to Merlin's self-monitoring, their effect value will be corrected once it's used up, which is completely different from how the Alliance treats Kariya and others."

“Perhaps this is a wrong path that the Alliance took from the very beginning,” Conan replied after a moment’s thought.

"After all, out of caution, the alliance only used TDD as an incidental effect value."

"Lin Sheng, look, if we treat effects as consumables, these people can even directly counteract the large number of effect values ​​we use with a small amount of effect value."

“No, that’s completely different,” Lin Sheng countered Conan’s idea.

Even Conan's casual remark made him think even more.

"You don't know how strongly the CYZ effect is related to me personally, or rather, because I've never used it that way, you don't feel it deeply."

Lin Sheng repeated what he always said.

"Have you forgotten about Ms. Miyano? As long as the effect value is high enough, I can indeed forcibly create a non-existent entity."

"But similarly, I can sense and manipulate all the effects generated by myself, and I can directly command them."

"This means..."

Lin Sheng didn't continue, but Conan took over the topic with a serious expression.

"This means that the 'life and death' of those who break the rules will be directly controlled by the [transmigrators]."

"Because without your help, even if we can maintain our state under the momentum that has lasted for a long time, we will have no power to resist the historical momentum."

"Yes, but Kariya and Sakura are different. Although they are easier to correct now, that's because of the special state of this [universe]."

"You suspect this was the work of that [time traveler]?"

“No, that’s unlikely,” Lin Sheng denied again.

"If that [transmigrator] wanted to use this to control or establish an organization similar to slavery, why did he allow the [Branch Wars] to occur after he gained control of [Chaldea]?"

"Like I said, if he did it, the Alliance would have found out as soon as they came in."

Considering the various manifestations of the "limit-breaking power" in these people's mouths now.

Lin Sheng made the most bizarre yet reasonable guess.

The fact that Fujimaru Ritsuka left—if it really was that "left"—means that she was aware of the concept of "outside".

In other words, this "time traveler" is clearly not a "native" time traveler like himself.

"Conan, do you think there's a possibility—"

Lin Sheng asked, "Was that [transmigrator] dead from the very beginning? Or did they die sometime around the time Fujimaru Ritsuka first met them?"

……

Director's office at Beika Town Central Hospital.

Hasegawa Tsuki felt both worried and relieved about this child who hadn't grown much taller over the years.

She looked at Ilya, who was eager to try, and asked, "Ilya, are you really sure?"

"Don't worry, Senior Moon, I have carefully assessed the specific risks."

Ilya said that the detective world is now practically tailor-made for her.

"Not only the Third Law of the Type-Moon Universe, but with the help of Commander Conan, I also mastered the third chapter of the Seven Chapters Sutra."

“My body happens to fit the characteristics of a child, and the ‘materialization of the soul’ in the ‘Third Law’ can also be linked to ‘reversible physical body and unwavering memory’.”

Ilya showed Hasegawa Tsukiyomi her hands, both of which were filled with red and white pills between her fingers.

"It's just a method of drinking poison to rejuvenate, who knows, it might even be able to restore another Irisviel!"

Compared to Kiritsugu, who is obsessed with solving problems by killing, Illya, who has now been trained by the Alliance, is clearly more strategic.

In addition to studying magic, she also studied some books on narrative theory within the [League].

Irisviel is very lucky to have such a husband and daughter.

In Ilya's view, since her mother was going to die once—

Who says a person can't die in the "official sphere" while simultaneously living on under another identity?
Conan's own experiences speak for themselves.

"In this way, Irisviel's problem of historical inertia can be solved."

"Based on Conan's character design, she can also survive."

Hasegawa Tsuki believes this is indeed feasible.

"If this Irisviel is just a derivative, then it does have the potential to succeed."

"Commander Kudo's [Realistic Marble] has an RSI value of less than 100 across the entire range."

"This means that APTX-4869 is undoubtedly effective. As for the high RSI value of the outer shell, this is not hard to conclude based on the study of Gilgamesh."

"Merlin also stole from his treasury many times, and was able to use illusion magic to simulate the magical properties of the 'Rejuvenation Potion'."

In other words, this is a method that works in both worldviews.

“Ilya, if you can get Irisviel, who is the Black Grail, to take APTX-4869, it is indeed possible for her to return to the state before she became the Black Grail.”

“That’s right.” Ilya nodded smugly.

"I even studied the 'Introduction to Cyclic Time' from the [Time Research Department]."

"The historical inertia of the appearance of the Great Sea Demon was brought forward by Irisviel; she was never supposed to become the Holy Grail at that moment."

"Therefore, two timelines that develop in opposite directions can also coincide within it."

"Because of the two-way nature of time, it is not contradictory to complete Irisviel's death in the past and to keep her alive in the future."

Hasegawa Tsuki really gives off the feeling of Illya growing up.

She exclaimed, "Yes, so that leaves only one question."

"What's the problem?" Ilya tilted her head, feeling that there was nothing in her plan that needed to be changed.

According to Lin Sheng's plan, Hasegawa Tsuki should not tell Illya the actual details of this issue.

Because this involves another Irisviel.

The Einzbern Castle, where Kiritsugu Irisviel now resides, presents a different kind of risk.

That involves uncovering a new "historical inertia" from scratch.

But Hasegawa Tsuki finally softened.

Or rather, she couldn't accept the possibility that saving the Black Alice would lead to the sacrifice of the Good Alice.

If that were to actually happen, it would be utterly absurd.

So she asked Ilya, "I can't reveal too much about this. But Ilya, what about your original mother?"

"Irisviel, as the Black Grail, died at Kiritsugu's hands, which is in line with her own 'inertia.' Because she was already in the 'Holy Grail' tainted with black mud."

“If you rescue her, then history will lead to the possibility that Ilya will kill Irisviel.”

Ilya thought for a moment, "Then, should we keep it a secret and let Kiritsugu do it?"

Although I feel bad for Kiritsugu, this is indeed a feasible solution.

(End of this chapter)